Sunderland’s trip to QPR a test for all concerned

Lee Cattermole will be looking to control the midfield for Sunderland against QPR (Picture: Getty Images)

Sunderland face Harry Redknapp’s Queens Park Rangers on Saturday in a fixture which will prove to be as much of a test of Gus Poyet’s managerial credentials as it will be the strength of his side.

This is exactly the kind of fixture which Sunderland would previously throw away in, usually, spectacularly fashion – especially if you add in to the equation QPR’s start to the season which has seen them fail to pick up a point, unable to hit the back of the net in either game and even crash out of the Capital One Cup to Burton Albion. Yep, add all those ingredients, chuck in a hint of ‘essence of Sunderland’ and you might as well put all your money on the home side come 3pm.

However, that was Sunderland of old. A Sunderland who have continually flirted with disaster in recent years, languishing at the foot of the table. Today really will be a test as to how far we come, if indeed any progress has been made at all.

The optimistic Black Cats fan in me, buried deep, deep down under decades of pessimism, harks to QPR’s demolition at the hands of Spurs at White Hart Lane last week as a reason for hope of a victory today. Not because I believe Sunderland are comparable to Spurs, I haven’t completely lost my mind just yet, but rather the fact that despite having around 34 per cent possession, QPR failed to cover more ground than Mauricio Pochettino’s men when you would have expected them to have been working like dogs to win the ball back.

Redknapp’s desire to play three at the back should be a route for victory for the travelling side given how well Sunderland were able to probe Manchester United, employing a similar system, with Will Buckley looking particularly impressive on his home debut that afternoon. Indeed the prospect of the rapid wide man running at Nedum Onuoha, Rio Ferdinand and, should he play, Richard Dunne is one that really whets the appetite.

For many outsiders looking in, this isn’t exactly a fixture to get excited about I must concede. However may I tempt some interest with the potential heavyweight clash of QPR’s Joey Barton and Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole in the centre of Loftus Road?

Barton and Sunderland have a storied past, with the abhorrent midfielder still revelling in his exploits as a Newcastle player a few years back, desperately trying to establish a position in Geordie folklore, an endeavour which smacks of his usual attention seeking antics which even the delusional bunch up the road won’t fall for you’d hope.

Much praise has quite rightly been lauded at the feet of the tenacious Cattermole this season, who is proving there is more to his game than a thundering challenge, however, you can guarantee that Barton will have the Sunderland man firmly within his sights.